There are fears of a massive cholera outbreak as rates of dysentery and diarrhoea continue to rise in Zimbabwe's second largest city Bulawayo.
Almost three week's ago, Tearfund reported breaking news of communities there having to drink dirty water and use the ground outside their houses as toilets. Tearfund also warned of the disastrous outbreaks of disease amongst people.
Severe lack of water in Bulawayo, which has a population of 1.5 million, is already seeing rising cases of people suffering from water-bourne diseases and cholera outbreak is likely as water supplies dwindle and controlling diseases becomes more difficult.
Water shortages started in the city almost 5 months ago and communities have to queue for five hours at a time for clean water.
But now as water supplies are becoming unbearably limited, the council in Bulawayo is reported to be restricting supplies so that residents only have access to water every 11 days from the beginning of next month.
The deepening crisis in the country was further highlighted last week when British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced his refusal to go the EU African leaders summit if President Mugabe attends.
Zimbabwe now has the world's highest inflation rate of around 6,600 per cent and unemployment stands at 80 per cent. The economic crisis, hunger and impact of AIDS (there are currently around 1.3 million children orphaned by AIDS) is forcing young children to walk alone or in small groups over the border into South Africa. The children are in search of food, work or schooling but charities are warning that they are at extreme risk of being exploited.
Churches are working with the community in Bulawayo as they struggle with the severe water shortages. Other church based organisations are also providing food and assistance to families displaced by the government's urban clearance operation that began in various cities in the country in May 2005 and left many struggling to survive.
Because of the lack of food over the past two years, many of Zimbabwe's children suffer from chronic malnutrition. Tearfund is currently funding feeding programmes for some 9,500 orphans and vulnerable children working through churches and church-based agencies.
Please pray for the Zimbabwean people in their suffering - many who don't know how they will feed their children. Ask that the work that churches in the country are doing will reach those most in need. Pray for those that are seeking to give, often when they themselves are in need. Pray that justice and hope would be restored. Pray for greater pressure on the regime from within Zimbabwe and outside. Pray that change will come soon and without violence. Give thanks that many church leaders are bravely speaking out and challenging the failure of governance and abuse of human rights. Pray for the leaders of the Zimbabwe Christian Alliance - for protection for them and their families.
Click here for more about our work in Zimbabwe.